Ten parking fee machines smashed at Long Beach

Jun 05 2012

Last week, 10 out of 14 machines in the Long Beach area were vandalized so extensively that they are now unusable, said Helen Davies, Parks Canada field unit superintendent.

“But our expectation is that visitors will still pay the park user fee. We will still be enforcing compliance,” she said.

Fees range from $3.90 for a youth to $7.80 for an adult and $19.60 for a family or group. About $550,000 is raised annually through the fees.

“So it’s an important source of revenue for us,” Davies said.

All revenue is reinvested in the park and helps to cover the cost of walking trails, visitor guides, signs, exhibits, interpretive programs, picnic facilities and washrooms, she said.

A fee freeze has been in place since 2008 to try to keep costs affordable for the public, she said.

Park staff are looking for a long-term solution to collecting park fees and, in the meantime, visitors are being asked to buy park passes at the Pacific Rim Visitor Centre, Kwisitis Visitor Centre, Green Point Campground kiosk or the Park Administration Office.

Various locations in Ucluelet and Tofino are also selling passes.

RCMP are looking for help in tracking down the vandals, who attacked the machines overnight last Tuesday.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Ucluelet RCMP at 250-726-7773.